Mad World
by stretch the faunlet
Summary: I grew sick at the thought of a small, fragile smeet being shot in cold blood, but stiffened when I heard Tallest Red call out the next name, my name: "Irken Elin!" OC-driven. No romance.


**Mad World**

_All around me are familiar faces,_

_Worn out places,_

_Worn out faces._

_Bright in early for their daily races,_

_Going nowhere,_

_Going nowhere…_

_"Mad World", Gary Jules_

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><p>When I felt Zenna clutch my arm, I already knew what was going to happen, that this was going to be a horrific situation.<p>

We kept straight in lines as all of our fellow Defectives followed us from beside us, and behind us, while Zenna and I followed the group a few feet ahead. We kept in line best we could because we all knew, one misstep would result in either a beating, or a point-blank shot to the back of the head. Immediate execution.

I noticed ahead, as some of the weaker Defectives stumbled a bit out of their formed lines. The guards beside our lines shoved them roughly back in place. I couldn't help stumbling a few times myself; the lines were forming out of the prison, emptying us out into a rough-terrain field, the only patch of land for miles. And though I should feel grateful for seeing the wide Irken sky again after having been locked up for so many years in a cell surrounded by darkness, the coming terror could not be contained as it crept up my spine, reminding me why they were forcing us out here in the first place. In that dirt field where a platform covered in dried blood loomed...

We were being lead to the execution field.

Instead of waiting for death as we all had to here, the Defective Irkens who were rowdy or caused trouble or even tried to escape, were brought out here to this field, brought to that platform up ahead, and executed via gunshot to the head. The blood stain that was painted all over the flat surface from years and years of brave Defectives trying to escape or start a rebellion within the walls of the prison, were a reminder to us that we had no chance of being saved, no chance of redemption or escape. A reminder from the Empire that we had to be punished for what we were.

As we came closer to the platform, I could finally see it from where in line we walked. I didn't even have to look to find what I dreaded to see. But my eyes, once filled with fear, were now filled with an undying hatred as my eyes locked on the two tall figures on the platform.

Zenna's hold on my arm tightened, and I knew she could see them sitting their upon thrones that were never there until today. "They're gonna kill us," she whispered, fighting back a whimper.

"They're here to watch," I added as we walked on ahead, almost to our stop in the field. "But don't worry, they're not going to kill us." I rubbed her hand in a comforting manner, hearing her breathing hard with worry. "There is about 500 of others here, and only 2 of us."

I glanced over at her, and could tell by her somewhat more relaxed expression that she was taking my words into consideration, but I would never tell her how I really felt. That maybe, the guards would just start simply shooting into the large crowds at the Tallest' orders; a sick game Tallest Red and Tallest Purple came to watch exclusively. Their own private killing show for their entertainment.

When we were all stopped walking, we all stood there in different places in the field; a large crowd of different lines made to stand in order before the platform where the Tallest had taken their throne for the day to watch out suffering. As I stood beside Zenna, clutching her close as she held me, I looked around at the thee Defectives, some of them I knew, some I didn't know. Friends held each other close as Zenna and I were doing, while the young smeets whimpered or cried, but none of them made a run for it. There was no point to run, and, in reality, they all knew making an escape now, let alone at all, was a death sentence all on its on. Suicide, really. Shot point blank as they ran, or taken back into custody to be brought out here to the platform where the Tallest now sat, to be either whipped, beaten or shot in the head.

We all stood in silence, agonizingly waiting for this to be over with. To kill who they had to kill already and just put us back into our cells to wait for the day we'd be taken in to be executed. This was torturous for, whoever was taken up to that platform would surely be either tortured or shot for the Tallest' enjoyment. And we'd all have to watch in horror...

But there had to be some reason as to why they would bring us out here to be shot. Were the Tallest really that sick and twisted that watching us die was a fun little game to them? No one could be that evil, but that was just an innocent piece of denial left over from my smeethood; when Irk and the Universe didn't seem that cruel, that everyone was happy and we all lived in peace. I wish that had been the case, but at the age of 9 when I was brought here I slowly grew to realize that our leaders that we were all born to admire and bow down to, were actually cruel dictators, far from what I was told during my much early years.

I was 23 now, no longer a girl, but a young woman, and though I was first brought here still during my last bit of smeethood, whatever trace of the innocent I once had was taken during my 14 years here. Zenna however, even in this horror we endured, was the little chatterbox I remember from when I first met her here. She hadn't been hurt like I had, but I wouldn't change it any other way. She was my only connection to whatever happiness I once felt before this never-ending nightmare began. Being only 5-smeet-years-old, brought to this hell when she was only a newborn smeet, she was short for her age, meager in size as well, so, I naturally became her protector. I took whatever beating from the guards here so that they'd never touch her. And they never did, luckily. It was a price to pay but I was more than willing to pay for it. Anything to keep her safe, I would do it, no questions asked. She was all I had grown to care for, all I had left, though I had nothing except her to begin with until she arrived.

Zenna and I glanced over at each other. Her large pink eyes were still filled with a hidden worry, a fear she tried to cover up that kept rising back to the surface of her tiny face, back into her eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile, though I was against it. It was a lie, the smile I gave her. It was reassuring as if to repeat what I had told her earlier, that we would be okay. But that was the thing: I didn't know. No one did. It could easily be her or I to be called and taken to that platform to be shot in front of the Tallest. But Zenna... I didn't want her to know what I knew: that the outcome would be a surprise to us both. As much as I wanted to, I could not positively predict what was sure to happen that day. None of us could reassure each other with the small hope, and we all realized this with a heavy heart as we waited.

I turned my head completely in Zenna's direction completely. There was something I had to tell her, for I felt that something would happen, rather it be the guards shooting into the crowds at any minuet, or Zenna or I taken up to be killed before the Tallest. "Zenna," I began softly, my voice quivering slightly as the single word, her name, came out.

Zenna turned her head toward me, and my eyes caught her's. "Yeah?"

"Promise me something..."

"Anything," she swore, her voice still not raising above a whisper.

"If I die, please promise me you'll be brave," I told her, swallowing a lump in my throat that threatened to bubble up. I knew if they called Zenna up to kill her, I'd take her place in a heartbeat, and she knew this. She'd want me to live and have her be taken instead, but I was determined to take her place whenever necessary, whenever the time came. She was only a smeet, and, though she would forever be stuck in this hell-hole, she had a whole life ahead of her.

She didn't respond. In fact, she seemed hesitant to answer.

"Zenna, please," I begged quietly, hoping the guards around the lines wouldn't hear us speaking. "Promise me you'll be brave."

Her mouth closed into a tight line on her face. She refused to answer, the thought of my death unbearable for her to conceive, but the possibility of it loomed over us like a storm. It would happen eventually, and it would be me to go first.

"For me..."

She gulped, blinking back noticeable tears in her pink eyes as she finally nodded her head at me. "Yes, I will. Promise."

I smiled, but whatever small relief I had that she'd be brave for me if and when I died faded away when we turned back toward the platform and noticed Tallest Red step forward.

Everyone in the crowd held their breath.

There was a look of disgust on Tallest Red's as he stared at us all, and I couldn't help the anger that began to boil my blood at the sight of him and his disgust for us. I scowled at him from within the middle of the alined crowd, hidden among faces painted with different yet somewhat same expressions. Some of the others either looked frightened, angry as I did, or sick to their stomachs, looking ready to faint.

My scowl darkened as Tallest Red began to speak aloud to us. "Defectives," he began, and his booming loud voice made us all shake inside with fear. "Before we begin, I'd like to go over the reason why you're all here." I could see, even from as far from the platform where I stood, a smirk appear over his features, one also appearing on Tallest Purple's face from beside him. "You are all here as punishment for what you are: Defectives. As you may also already know, there is no place in the Empire, or let alone planet Irk, for failures like you. The only solution to this problem,-the problem being you all-, is execution."

I felt my hold on Zenna tighten at his last words.

"And while we're at it," he added with a dark chuckle, "I might as well go over the rules that you must obey while during your only stay here. If you disobey orders, the guards are allowed to strike you or do whatever punishment they find necessary."

I cringed at the memory of my first serious beating. It was during Zenna's 2nd year here, and during my 11th year. A drunk guard went into our cell and tried to hurt Zenna, but I took the beating for her. The following week that same guard came back and... Well, it's quite obvious what he did when he came back. I had bruises on the inside of my thighs for weeks after that. The harsh memory still lingers freshly on my mind, sending a shiver down my spine.

"And if you tried to escape, which, well, let's be honest, it would be highly unlikely that any of you would even succeed an escape attempt-," he paused to chuckle again, and I couldn't help but gnash my teeth together and darken my sullen glare at him at his laugh, his laugh that mocked us for what we were, mocking our coming deaths, mocking our suffering. Oh how I'd love to get my hands on him... Though even that dark yet satisfying thought would be highly unlikely, impossible, really, it still actually calmed my racing heart down. "-You will either be shot as you run, or taken back here, to this very platform, to be tortured to such a far extent you'd be begging for mercy."

I could feel Zenna shaking beside me, but no matter what I did, nothing could stop her from trembling all over.

There was a pause as he looked around at us, at all those faces, some familiar to me, and some not. The ones I did know were just as frightened and angry as I was. Tallest Red smiled at us. "So, I'm guessing you're all wondering why you've been brought out here to us, am I right?"

No one answered him, not even with a single nod.

"Well," he replied after a moment, "since I'm sure you're all... _dying _to know..."

I felt my throat go dry at the way he sneered as he said the word _'dying' _addressed toward us. And I knew then, we were going to be killed. How many of us, I wasn't sure, but I was guessing that probably we'd all be killed. I wouldn't be surprised if the guards, armed with their weapons, started firing at us.

"...I'll tell you," he continued, grinning to himself and to us. Addressing us all with only his tone of voice that some of us were going to die. "Because the space in this prison has run out and many more failures like you all are being found in an abundant amount, we've decided to... Well..." Tallest Red smirked as he took a step back. "...you'll all find out soon."

"Elin..." Zenna whimpered out weakly, and I knew that she had understood Tallest Red and the dark tone of voice he used when he said _'dying'. _"...does he mean...?"

I nodded once, and only once, and I soon felt her hold on me tighten in response. She was a smart little one, and understood how dire the situation was.

A small servant of the Tallest stepped forward, an electronic pad in his hands. Somewhat looking nervous himself (though I didn't blame him in the least), he searched through the pad, for something.

Finally, after a long moment, he handed Tallest Red the pad. Tallest Red stared down at the pad, a smile, a dark, devious smile, formed over his features as he called out, "Irken Rinly!"

That was a name I remember vaguely hearing sometime ago, but I didn't know her personally. All heads turned in Rinly's direction, and I could tell she was terrified as to why she was being called. But I knew why, and I felt a horrible pang of pity for her and her friends.

As guards came to take her up to the platform, some of her friends clung to her, begging them to leave her be. Rinly's had no visible trace of terror on her face, but from what I could see, her face was growing lighter and lighter and she looked ill. Her expression was blank as the guards, after some struggling on Rinly's friends' part, pulled her away from through, dragging her through the crowds and up to the platform.

Tallest Purple was handed a bag of chips, and as he munched away happily, Rinly was shoved at their feet. I felt my body go stiff as a guard got behind her, gun in hand.

Everyone began to murmur then, frantic and horrified whispering passed through among us as the guard raised the gun to the back of Rinly's head.

Those murmurs turned to shrieks in just seconds, as he pulled the trigger.

I felt a scream escape me as I wrapped my arms around Zenna. She wrapped her own arms around me, sobbing as she buried her face into my shirt. I whispered soothing things to her as she cried, the way I had always done on all those sleepless, tear-filled nights.

I stared up at the platform as Rinly's limp body was pulled away by some other guards. Tallest Red, still smiling, reached for the pad again. My heart dropped.

_Please don't be Zenna, _I prayed silently, and though I would immediately take her place if she were chosen, the horrible thought of them denying my choice to die instead of Zenna lingered. Maybe they would want to see my personal suffering at watching my only real friend die by a bullet to the head... No, she was more than a friend. Zenna had become like my own smeet to me, a daughter, and I had become something of a mother-figure to her. I grew sick at the thought of a small, fragile smeet being shot in cold blood, but stiffened when I heard Tallest Red call out the next name, _my_ name: "Irken Elin!"

As all heads turned in my direction, and as the guards headed my way, the reaction from Zenna was almost just as immediate.

"No!" she cried out, tightening her hold on me to the point where I might have suffocated, if I weren't already at that moment. I was frozen solid that my name had been called, but I was relieved that Zenna hadn't and she was spared.

"Please don't take her!" I heard Zenna beg as I was pulled away from her, being limply dragged away as Rinly's dead body had been. Though even in my shock, I caught her eyes in mine as they dragged me away, and managed to word out, _'Be brave'_. With what I could tell were tears streaming down her face, she nodded at me, understanding my silently spoken words.

The realization that I was leaving her like this, my... _my _smeet, heartbroken, made my eyes brim with tears. And as I was shoved onto the platform, I reminded myself once more:

_At least she is safe._

And that's what any mother who loved their smeet, related or not, would wish for.

As I collected myself on the floor, somewhat kneeling at their feet, I barely had time to even blink when I heard the sound of a gun being cocked from behind me, ready to fire at any moment.

_Please Miyuki, _I prayed silently, closing my eyes as I lowered my head.

_Keep my Zenna safe..._

That little smeet, who I met during my 9th year here when she was just a newborn smeet, had brought joy into my life like no one else had. Though I was only 18 when I first met her, and, though annoyed by her as my cellmate at first, I had grown to love that little knucklehead as my own. She taught me to love when I thought I couldn't, when it was, in reality, against the law. But screw the law, and screw the Empire; Zenna was my smeet, and I loved her, and no laws could ever take away how I felt for her; they could never destroy the bond between mother and smeet, related or not.

A single tear trailed down my cheek as I closed my eyes for the final time.

The last thing I ever heard, was the sound of the gun being fired, and the unmistakable sound of Zenna's screams.

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><p><strong>AN: This idea came to mind after reading and finishing "Catching Fire", the second book of The Hunger Games trilogy, yesterday. The whole Capitol just reminds me 100% of The Irken Empire. They are so alike in their dominations it's almost frightening. **

**But yeah, this is just another example one-shot of what Defectives might have went through while they were in those prisons. All one-shots will add up in my future trilogy that is going to be LONG. So it won't start for a while, but enjoy these little, very minor previews of sorts while you wait. :P **

**Plus I wanted to practice with POV writing again.**

**And yes, I wrote all this AT school, and in only ONE day.**

**Probably the longest story I've wrote in the shortest amount of time. XD**


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